What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lynn has the most expensive homes ($510k median).

Plainfield has the most homeowners (73.6%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Lynn	Plainfield
People
Population	101,709Highest	15,141Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	36.5±1.2Lowest 6% below U.S.	37±4.5Highest 5% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Lynn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.1%±1.4Highest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	13.7%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.6%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Plainfield and Lynn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	15%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Plainfield and Lynn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,043±$3kLowest 7% below U.S.	$76,993±$8kHighest 5% below U.S.
	Plainfield and Lynn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$510,100±$23kHighest 53% above U.S.	$272,100±$16kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,722±$60Highest 22% above U.S.	$1,204±$70Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,384Highest 73% above U.S.	$4,209Lowest 35% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±4.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.8%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	13.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	73.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1946Lowest 34 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	7.9%±1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Plainfield and Lynn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#277 of 282 in MA	#131 of 149 in CT
School district	Lynn	Plainfield School District
High school in town	Lynn English High	Plainfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	15.0Highest	10.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.